Overstocking?

[TKEON230]

I tried posting this over at the Fish Only forum and didn't seem to get a response. But, my 40 gallon breeder tank is getting to the point where I can start adding fish. I want to be able to plan my tank well in advance so I don't mess anything up along the way. Currently my tank has cycled and I've added the cleaner crew which includes about 20 snails and 2 cleaner shrimp. Fish-wise I plan on adding a Firefish, 2 O. Clownfish, and possibly some Blue Green Chromis. I really want the Chromis to school, but I wasn't sure how many would be safe to have in the tank without overstocking it. Does anybody have any suggestions as to a safe number to add...if any at all? Also, is there a preferred order to add the fish so that the lesser aggressive ones have a chance to settle in? Thanks for the help in advance...

 

[seaham358]

All the fish you want are non-aggressive so IMO you can add in any order.
I would go with either 3-5 chromis. They say odd numbers are best. I started with 7 and over the 3 years I had them I lost 5. I know have 2 and I tried to add 3 new ones and they were beat up by the 2 old ones.. They stay together all the time so they will school with smaller numbers.
I should ask how much LR do you have and what types of mechanical filtration do you have..
Some will say you will be pushing the limits of the tank with 8 fish, Put IMO they are small and with regular water changes you shold do well. BUT you will need good filtration, at least 40 lbs of LR would be best.
Do you have a skimmer? Are you planning on one?

 

[TKEON230]

Yeah, I guess I left out some important information there. I've got about 30 pounds of Lalo LR and 30 pounds of HiRocks. For a skimmer I've got a CPR Bak Pak 2R+, which seems to work pretty well so far. I also have a AquaClear 200 powerfilter with carbon and sponge.